Workplace Relations
by ghostbuns
Summary: AU: Sakura needs this internship to pass her course but how can she focus when her boss Mr Hatake likes her...really likes her. Meanwhile Sasuke is making her life a living hell at her parttime job; kissing her without permission and showing up everywhere. Has she somehow landed herself in a love-triangle with an older man and boy she up until recently hated? SxS / KxS
1. A Long Night

**A/n I'm really excited to be typing this story. It's been in the back of my mind for a while now but I've been a little apprehensive to start it because it needs a little bit more work than other stories I've written. Please let me know how you feel about the summary and first chapter so I can get some feedback and enjoy**

* * *

Sakura sighed. She hated the night shift more than anything else in the world. To make matters worse she'd been lucky enough to be blessed with the closing shift.  
"- And here's your receipt. Have a nice evening." Sakura smiled politely at the customer whilst the customer grumbled rudely in reply snatching the receipt from Sakura's hand. Sakura waited until the old lady was safely out of sight before poking her tongue out at her.

Haruno Sakura, aged 19 was currently an employee of the Lucky Sucker. Actually she was the employee of the month but Sakura knew that had more to do with the fact that she was always there than anything else. She wasn't the best employee there but as a poor university student she definitely spent more time at the Lucky Sucker than anyone else. She wasn't so lucky but she definitely was a sucker.

"Oy, Sakura – chan." Sakura turned her attention towards the direction of the voice. It was her fellow employee Lee. Lee was also a university student and happened to go to her university. In fact the majority of the people working at the Lucky Sucker were all university students. They were all one big lucky family of suckers.  
"Hey Lee." Sakura said struggling to muster up the strength to be as energetic as he was.  
"Sakura – chan, you are looking so cute tonight. The green of your apron really brings out your eyes." Lee smiled so brightly at Sakura she felt like she was going to pass out.  
"Easy there Lee." Sakura said patting him on the shoulder. "Don't hurt yourself."  
Sakura left Lee at the register and moved towards the shelf she'd been packing before having to serve the previous customer.  
"Sakura – chan." She heard Lee shout. "When is your big interview?"

He was referring to, of course, the very important job interview that Sakura had lined up for tomorrow. It was an interview for an internship at one of the cities biggest companies. If she didn't get this internship then she'd have to do another semester at university instead. Seeing as she was so close to finishing her course she decided to take the easy road to graduation.

"Tomorrow, Lee. I told you yesterday, remember." Sakura was very aware that Lee knew exactly when the interview was. She was also very aware that Lee was looking for excuses to talk to her. He hadn't left her alone since he'd started at the Lucky Sucker.  
"Oh, yes. That is right." Lee smiled sheepishly. "It is funny because Sasuke Uchiha has an interview tomorrow as well. I hope it is not for the same place as there is probably only one opening."

Sakura dropped the tin she'd been packing. Sasuke Uchiha was another fellow employee at the Lucky Sucker. A fellow employee that just so happened to be studying the same course as Sakura and getting better grades. Her heart sunk. How did she not know that he was going to be going for the same internship? She'd known about hers for a month he would've known all along that Sakura was gong for the same one.

_He's probably been laughing at me this whole time. There's no way I'll get it with Mr Perfect to contend with._

Sakura looked Lee dead in the eye.  
"Are you sure he's going for the same one, Lee?" She asked seriously. Lee looked uncomfortable like he had said too much and instantly regretted it. Sakura was known for her less than short fuse. She put her hands on her hips and gave Lee a look that clearly stated no-nonsense. It was then that a customer approached a relieved looking Lee and the conversation ended there.

Sakura kicked the box lightly with her foot deciding that now was the right time to take her break. She grabbed the heavy box awkwardly and carried it to the back room planning to dump it on the stockpile. As she was unceremoniously dumping it though she managed to slice her finger on the rough edge of the box.  
"Oh, come on." Sakura popped the finger straight into her mouth to try and quell the bleeding, to no avail. Tonight was going to be a very long night. She'd only been in the store an hour and already she'd had three rude customers and cut her finger on a box, and by the looks of it pretty badly too. She'd need a bandage and maybe antiseptic, definitely time for a break.

As she walked to the break room Sakura's mind wandered to the internship as it regularly had been doing for the last few weeks. Getting this internship had been all Sakura had thought about for the past two months. It had completely consumed her whole being. She'd made it all the way through the preliminaries up against fifty other candidates. She knew the position had come down to three candidates but she hadn't ever met the others. She had felt hopeful up until the point Lee had opened his big mouth. Now that she knew that Sasuke the glorified genius was on of the candidates she knew she didn't have a chance. He was constantly blowing her out of the water with his grades to the point where she'd always make sure they didn't have any of the same classes with him at their university so she could avoid the mortification.

By the time she reached the tearoom the blood had stopped pouring from her finger. She decided antiseptic and a plaster were still needed. Pushing the door open with her back she entered the tearoom and made a beeline for the first aid kit. The only problem was she needed two hands to open it, made difficult by one finger being out of action.  
"Stupid thing." Sakura grumbled to herself. She was at the point of throwing the mean little box at the wall behind her when two big hands snatched it out of hers. She turned around quick as lightening to see the last person she wanted to bump into that night.

"What are you doing? Idiot." Sasuke opened the small box with one swift click. On top of the great grades Sasuke happened to be the most arrogant and egotistical person she'd ever met. She found it really hard to stay in his presence for too long due to this.  
"I don't need your help. Asshole." Sakura grabbed the small box from his hands glaring at him all the while. She hadn't meant to be so unnecessarily rude but she didn't need him to come in here and insult her further with his apparently massive intelligence when he'd known all along about the internship. "I'm perfectly capable of putting a plaster on my finger."

Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand despite her and examined the cut much to Sakura's protest. She tried to snatch it back but the look Sasuke gave her told her to shut her mouth and stop squirming. Sakura observed his calm features. Aside the fact that he was her nemesis she couldn't help but find herself admiring his appearance from time to time and she wasn't the only one. Many girls had fallen for Sasuke at the Lucky Sucker but again they weren't Lucky - they were just suckers. Sasuke silently reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a disposable alcohol swipe. He applied the chemical to Sakura's finger without word of warning and she bit her lip to muffle her yelp of pain – those things hurt but she wouldn't let him know she thought so. Sasuke had noticed and gave her a fleeting smirk before wrapping a bright blue plaster around the cut.  
"Shall I kiss it better?" Sasuke smirked fully this time raising the finger to his lip.  
Sakura snatched her finger out of his hand like it was burning her flesh. She knew that Sasuke knew that he pissed her off so he continued to do it on a daily basis to torture her.  
"You can kiss my ass." Sakura pushed past Sasuke and left the tearoom suddenly feeling like maybe she'd take her break later.

She stormed through the store until she spotted a mass of blonde hair in one of the aisles. Her friend Ino was lazily pricing items and chucking them haphazardly onto the shelves stopping every now and again to inspect her nails.  
"Oy!" Sakura said to the blonde girl who jumped in fright.  
"Kami, Sakura I thought you were a boss then." She rested her hand on her heaving bosom as if to calm her heart pace.  
"Sasuke is such an asshole." Sakura said ignoring her friend's shock.  
"What did he do this time?" Ino rolled her eyes. She had, many times, listened to her friend's views on the great – or not so great – Uchiha. "Don't tell me he asked to borrow a pen."  
"Worse." Sakura held up her finger to show her friend. "He plastered my finger for me like I couldn't be trusted to handle the first aid kit on my own. Ino laughed and shook her head at her friend before grabbing another item and continuing with the pricing.  
"How dare he." Ino mocked her.  
"Oh, trust me." Sakura added. "That's not even the worst part."  
"Yeah." Ino prompted her friend as she changed the figures on her pricing gun.  
"The…" Sakura searched for a word. "- Asshole! He's going for the same internship as me. I mean, it's bad enough he's not satisfied unless he's out-doing me in everything; he has to go and apply for the same internship as me. There are literally ten other firms he could have applied for. Can you believe him?" Sakura looked at Ino expecting to see an appalled look on her face but when Ino continued to stock the shelf in front of her and not meet her gaze she knew something was up.  
"You knew." Sakura accused her friend. "Didn't you?"  
"Sakura, don't lose your head but I wasn't going to be the one to tell you." Ino held her hands up in front of her as if to surrender. "If I had have told you before the last few interviews you would have completely been distracted. Look how far you've made it already. You don't know he'll get it. The interviewer will definitely prefer you to Sasuke."  
Sakura leaned her back against the shelf her head in her hands.  
"If it were me I'd hire you over him any day." Ino patted her friend on the shoulder. "You have people skills. Sasuke is an arrogant bastard."

Sakura took a deep breath assessing the situation. Ino was right she had made it this far. Who's to say that the placement would go to the candidate with the highest scores? It wasn't all about grades anyways. It was about who you were as a person and how you would benefit the firm.  
"Okay, Ino." Sakura stood up proud like a woman reborn with purpose. "I won't let him ruin my interview tomorrow. I'll march in there and give it my best."  
"That's the spirit, forehead." Ino cheered the pink haired girl on.  
"I'd better get back to work." Sakura beamed at her friend. She really did feel better. "I'll see you in the car on the way home tonight?"  
"Ah…" Ino gave Sakura yet another apologetic look. "I'm going home early tonight…" Sakura's shoulders slumped. "…So I won't be able to drive you. I'm sorry, please don't hate me."  
"It's okay." Sakura said defeated. "I'll just catch the bus."  
"I really am sorry."  
Sakura said goodbye to her friend and left her in the aisle.

After a while of mundane shelf-packing in which she'd been interrupted by many rude old customers asking about the locations of products, that hadn't moved since before her birth, Sakura decided that it was time to take her break. As she entered the tearoom for the second time that evening she was met with a silent Hinata waving her arms to get her attention and beckoning her to stay quiet. Seated beside her friend with long raven hair and pale eyes was a fast asleep Naruto, his shirt untucked and hair even more unruly than ever.

"He's been working all day." Hinata whispered. "He was talking to me then 'poof' he fell asleep. Just like that. Out like a light."  
"Poor guy." Sakura frowned at Naruto. If he'd been working all day that meant that he wasn't working the close like he normally did on a Tuesday night. "Hinata are you working close with me tonight?" If Naruto wasn't working it and Ino wasn't working it and Hinata wasn't working it that left only…  
"No not me. Sasuke – kun is working it. He swapped shifts with Naruto because he has that interview tomorrow." Hinata whispered apologetically. So Hinata knew too. Sakura wondered if everyone knew and they had all been humouring her this whole time.  
"You knew too?" Asked crestfallen. "Everyone knew but me."  
"Oh." Hinata's eye's widened like she'd just betrayed everyone without realising. "I thought you knew."  
"No, I only just found out." Sakura slumped in the chair across from Hinata and the still sleeping Naruto. "Now I'm working close with that asshole and I have to catch the bus afterwards." She put her head on the table in front of her like Naruto who was snoring happily.  
"Poor Sakura don't worry you'll beat him." Hinata stiffened. "Don't tell him I said that."  
Sakura laughed at her friend and left the table to make a cup of very strong black tea.


	2. A Tense Car Ride

**a/n broke this chapter up from the first one because i was unhappy with the lengths. **

* * *

Later, it was almost time for Sakura to leave the Lucky Sucker for the night and her mood had steadily become worse and worse as every employer except her and Sasuke had left for the night. It had gotten so bad that she'd decided to put her mind into her work and she had her work cut out for her, in the form of an ominous stain on the floor of the fruit and vegetable aisle. She was down on her knees skirt hiked dangerously far up her legs scrubbing intensely at the spot. She imagined the spot as Sasuke's annoying face smirking at her and scrubbed ever harder. She hadn't noticed someone behind her.

Sasuke, having completed all of his tasks early for the evening had wandered over to Sakura's aisle to see if she needed any help. He hadn't expected to come face to face with Sakura prostrated on all fours scrubbing intensely at the floor. She moved her body back and forth with every scrub her skirt rising higher and higher up her black stocking clad thighs. His mind wandered immediately to a scenario wherein she was in the same position but instead he was behind her and he was thrusting her back and forth. He shook his head to clear his mind as blood begun rushing south towards his member. When he'd first met Sakura he'd felt nothing for her but over time when she'd started to verbalize her hatred for him he'd found himself observing her a little closer. He hadn't wanted to swap shifts with Naruto because he was trying his hardest to stay out of her way but what with the huge interview tomorrow it was unavoidable.  
'_You can kiss my ass…' _  
Sakura's words from earlier in the evening reverberated in his head for the umpteenth time that night and he stifled a chuckle. She was definitely unlike anyone he'd ever met before. Most girls swarmed him before they even knew him declaring their undying love for him in the most embarrassing and annoying way. He knew that was exactly the reason why Sakura had him so transfixed. Most of the time he couldn't get her out of his head, which resulted in messy sheets and little sleep. Sasuke shook his head yet again to get some of the images that had been flashing through his head out. He decided to make his presence known.

Sakura heard a rustle behind her and felt a presence she turned around quickly to find Sasuke lurking behind her.  
"Oh, it's you." She grumbled and continued scrubbing the floor.  
"Hn." Sasuke leaned against a now empty apple display continuing to watch her scrub the floor.  
"Are you just going to stand there and watch or are you going to help me?" She asked and Sasuke cringed as she recited something he'd heard her say in his fantasies. He wordlessly joined her on the floor and grabbed a sponge from the bucket next to her. "I know you're going for the same internship as me."  
Sasuke paused his scrubbing and looked at Sakura who was ignoring his stare. Sakura tried to continue her scrubbing but decided instead to leave the stubborn stain there. She grabbed the sponge from Sasuke and the bucket from the floor and stormed off in the direction of the storeroom, leaving Sasuke on the floor to ponder her words. She tipped the water down the drain and quickly ran to the tearoom to grab her coat and bag. She'd had enough for the night. She was looking forward to crawling into bed and forgetting the whole night had even happened. She envisioned her big warm bed as she crammed her beanie on her head and wrapped her scarf around her neck. It was freezing this time of year and her thin coat was going to do nothing to keep her warm on the way to the bus stop.

She walked out of the female locker room to see Sasuke waiting for her at the table. He had on a dark blue coat and a red scarf that made him look effortlessly cool in comparison to her daggy pink scarf and baby blue coat. She sighed in frustration and left the tearoom in the direction of the exit not caring if he was behind her or not. Unfortunately when she had reached the exit he was right behind her, his long legs effortlessly catching up her short ones. When they reached the door Sakura flicked the light switch so that the entire store was in shadows. Suddenly she was hyperaware of the proximity of Sasuke and her in the dark. She felt the hair on the back of her neck rise for no apparent reason. She thrust the door of the exit open and the night air engulfed her stinging her face with its icy coolness. She gulped in the oxygen letting it flow to her brain. She didn't bother saying goodbye to Sasuke or waiting for him to lock the store up choosing instead to start walking to the bus stop before she froze over. Sasuke looked over his should to see her retreating figure scurrying off into the night. He knew that she usually got a lift home from who ever she was working with and he instantly felt guilty. He quickly locked the door and hurried to catch up to her.

"Oy!" Sasuke called out to her in his deep voice. "Sakura."  
She didn't stop but kept walking. He could have sworn she had sped up a little.  
"Sakura, wait." He jogged a bit to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm and swung her around. "Sakura, please-"  
"Can't you just leave me alone." She wrenched her arm out of his grip her eyes boring holes in his.  
"Would you shut up and listen to me." Sakura went to turn around and continue her walk to the bus stop but Sasuke grabbed her by the scarf halting her in her tracks.  
"Let go." She warned him.  
"No, not until you let me drive you home." Sasuke said stubbornly.  
"I don't want you to drive me home. I don't want to be around you." Sakura tried to pull her scarf out of his hand but to no avail he was just too strong.  
"At least let me drive you home. By the time you catch the bus and get home it'll be so late you won't get enough sleep for the interview tomorrow." He reasoned with her. She stopped struggling her hands still firmly grasped on he scarf.  
"Wouldn't it be better for you to have me turn up tomorrow exhausted?" This question hurt him more than all her stubborn struggling and name-calling.  
"Do you really think that?" He asked looking her in the face trying to communicate with her that he'd want nothing of the sort. She looked away preferring not to face him.  
"Okay." She wrenched the scarf out of his hands. "Drive me home but you'd better have a good heater."

And with that she walked off in the direction of the car park. It couldn't hurt to let him drive her she thought. It was the least he could do for causing her so much annoyance. Sasuke followed her again but this time towards his car. An older model Black BMW that he'd bought the previous year. Sakura scoffed as he unlocked and opened the door for her. Of course he had a nice car. He had a nice everything. _Including face._ A voice in the back of her mind spoke. Sasuke joined her in the car and turned the ignition bringing the car to life. He turned the heater on full blast as the car idled warming up. Sakura shivered as the heater went from cool first and then relaxed as the air soon turned warm. Sasuke backed the car out of the car park and headed in the direction of the main road.

If the tension between them had have been thick earlier in the night it was nothing compared to deathly silence that surrounded the two. Sakura spent the entire duration of the drive, when she didn't have to give him directions, staring stubbornly out the window pretending Sasuke didn't exist. He spent the duration of the drive pretending not to notice her. It wasn't until she suddenly took off her coat and beanie that he hazarded a look. The car was hot enough now that Sakura had decided to ditch her warm clothes. Sasuke had chosen to look just as she was taking off her scarf. As she pulled the material around her neck it unbuttoned the top button on her blouse revealing milky white flesh. Sasuke snapped his attention back to the road. When they came to a stoplight he risked another look realising he could see the beginning of her breast. He quickly snapped his attention back to the road again but now a familiar warm sensation was pooling in his stomach.

He was trying his hardest to keep his eyes and mind off her when they turned down a familiar street and he realised that they had arrived. Her street was low lit and the cabin was dark so she might not notice him looking at her like she was some type of lust-invoking demon. She might even get out of the car with out saying anything. He stopped the car outside her house and waited with baited breath. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she was putting her coat on which involved thrusting her chest forward trying to get the space in the car for her arms to go through the coat holes. He'd had enough, he put the car in park and the pulled the handbrake on.

"Sakura." He muttered half hoping she wouldn't hear him.  
"What?" She looked over at him but never got to find out what he was going to say next because before she knew it he had grabbed her shoulders and brought his lips down on hers. He kissed her hot and heavy coaxing her lips open with his tongue. His stomach did a somersault when she yielded and he plunged his tongue into her hot mouth. He moved his hands to her hair caressing her neck as she moved her hands to his shoulders. She made a small hum of pleasure as his hand moved down her neck towards her breast. His member throbbed against his pants and he felt intoxicated by the taste of her, so much better than he had imagined. He had almost made his way inside the front of her shirt when she pushed him back. He looked at her with eyes half-lidded with lust and quickly sobered when the look on her face told him that he had crossed the line.  
"I'm sorry." He tried as Sakura gathered her things and quickly exited the car. "Sakura, wait." She slammed the door and marched up to her house where she quickly entered and slammed the door behind her. He wasted no time turning the car back on wanting to be as far away from Sakura as he could get.

That night he dreamed of kissing Sakura in his car again only this time he slipped his hand under her skirt and felt the area between her legs that was most private.


	3. An Impossible Man

**HOW CAN ANY ONE SUBMIT TO THIS SITE WHEN THERE IS SUCH TERRIFIC WRITERS OUT THERE? Dear lord, I feel like the weird kid who sits in the back of class and sniffs glue that no one wants to talk to. In the words of Josh Thomas - Please Like Me. **

* * *

_"Congratulations on your success Sakura-chan and welcome to the Konoha Advertising Association internship program here at the Koharu Biyori Group. Your mentor will be waiting to meet you at his office at midday, please don't keep him waiting." _

Sakura listened to the words repeat in her mind, as she gripped the basin in front of her for dear life. She got the job; she was now an intern, at Konoha's top business group. She did it, she'd beaten out all the other applicants and now here she was. Her stomach churned with a new bout of over-excited anxiousness. She'd only just recovered after her nerves had caused her to become well acquainted with a toilet bowl in the ladies room, on level 8, of the KBG building.

Sakura observed her appearance in the mirror before her. You couldn't tell, by looking at her carefully made up exterior, that she hadn't achieved any sleep the previous evening. She'd been so wrapped up in her nerves for the next day and a certain infuriating jerk, that'd used an innocent lift home as an excuse to feel her up, that she hadn't been able to rest peacefully. She had hurried around in the morning trying her best to conceal the bags beneath her eyes and make herself presentable, and had finally emerged from her house feeling some kind of confidence for the day. This confidence may or may not have had anything to do with the way her tight beige skirt made her derrière look _oh so round_.

What was Sasuke thinking kissing her like that? What type of asshole had the nerve to pull a move like that? Of course Sakura had said yes to a lift home, if it was going to get her home and to bed quicker. If she didn't know any better he'd done it on purpose. He'd driven her home under the pretence of helping her prepare herself for the next day, and right at the end when she'd been about to thank him, he'd leaned over and kissed her out of the blue. Yes, it was a brilliant plan. Drive the dumb girl home, check. Lull her into a false sense of security, check. Kiss her without permission and utterly catch her off guard causing her to not be able to sleep the night before a huge interview, _double check._

_But it was all pointless wasn't it, Sasuke? I got the job, not you. So you can put that in your pipe and smoke it, you arrogant, loathsome, prick. _

Despite her latent dislike for her Lucky Sucker colleague she couldn't help but let her mind wander to certain thoughts about the kiss. Like how warm and welcoming his mouth was. How her body had reacted to his almost instantly. How his rough hands had caressed her neck and…She shook her head. These were dangerous thoughts and were best kept locked away in some place she couldn't access. After all, he was Sasuke Uchiha, her number one rival and from now on the best thing she could do for herself and her sanity was to try and stay away from him. She supposed she'd be putting most of her time into her internship and wouldn't have time to see him at the Lucky Sucker. She smiled to herself relieved that she had an excuse to stay away.

With all thoughts of Sasuke securely sealed away, she started in the direction of her future mentor's office. So far all she knew about him was that he was the Advertising Director for the KBG, and seeing as it was a pretty big company she supposed he was going to be some big huge hot shot. From what she'd already seen of the ruthless business world she could gather that most of it's inhabitants were suave, well-dressed middle age men with tendencies to sport man-child behaviours and holier-than-though attitudes. She hoped for her sake that this man was different.

With little effort at all she soon located the office that her interviewer had told her to report too. She knocked softly on the door, before reading the nameplate fastened to it.

_Kakashi Hatake_

She waited with baited breaths for a reply, but nothing happened. When, after a few seconds she didn't hear anything she knocked again…

_What if I just opened the door to see if he was in or not? Surely that wouldn't be wrong or anything? _

Carefully, she turned the shiny silver doorknob and pushed the sleek grey door open, moving with the speed of a snail. She had expected to find an office with generally no personality, cold and sterile but instead she found a mess of books and papers lying haphazardly about in all places, hiding the desktop from sight– so he was the messy type. Most of all she'd expected to find a man seated behind the desk – but he was nowhere to be found. With caution, she entered the room, closing the door behind her. _Maybe I'll take a seat and just wait for him._ She crossed the room to the chair placed in front of the desk and was about to sit down when a noise behind her made her jump and turn sharply.

Lying on a couch, beside the door she'd just entered through, was a tall man with a mess of shocking silver hair sticking out in all directions, his hand covering his face as he slumbered. So, this was her new mentor, a slacker man who took naps in his filthy office when no one was watching. _Great that's just what I need, a lazy mentor who couldn't be bothered to teach me. _Sakura crossed the room again with the intention of waking her mentor up. She observed him closer. He must have been in his mid-thirties; he had a much younger face than his silver hair afforded him. She couldn't see much of it but she supposed he was handsome. _Whoa there lady, don't get any ideas. No crushes on the boss. _

"Come on, Lazy. Time to wake up." Sakura reached out to grab his shoulder to wake him but just as she was about to touch him she tripped on a book sprawled on the floor, she threw her arms out to break her fall, clenched her eyes and waited for impact. Clumsily, and with some pain, she landed on the couch, face to face with her mentor who was only now starting to rouse. Sleepily, he opened the one uncovered eye and slowly focused on the person who had just disrupted his happy dream. His one unobscured eye met her two, now very open and very wide ones. He took in the image of the young woman who dared to wake him. She was young, very young with a very pretty face. She must have been about 19 or 20. Her heart shape faced was coloured by a most amazing shade of red that matched her shocking fairy-floss coloured hair rather well.

"I-I." Sakura stuttered but was unable to make anything come out. She'd been completely taken by surprise by the way this man was looking at her, like he was looking into her mind, scoping her out. Kakashi lifted his arms behind him, sighing as he stretched out his cramped muscles. Sakura squeaked as the body beneath her writhed and moved against hers causing her heart to race in the awkward proximity. Kakashi, having heard her cute little noise, laughed quietly to himself. This woman must be his new intern. How interesting and bold of her to come onto him so directly.  
"So," He growled at her lowly, trying and succeeding to intimidate her. He'd quite enjoyed her embarrassed yelp; he'd definitely try and coax that out of her again. "You must be my new intern."  
He lightly fingered the pink tresses that had fallen in front of Sakura's teal shaded eyes, tucking the stray strands behind her delicate ears. "With hair dyed this colour, let me guess your name is Sakura?"

"It's not dyed." Sakura snapped. Who the hell was this guy? Well, she knew who he was but who did he think he was, staring at her like that? Like she was some shady woman of the night. So she'd fallen on top of him whilst he'd been sleeping peacefully. There was probably a million better ways to wake up, she hadn't meant to do it, and it was his fault for keeping such a dirty office. But to call her hair dyed, that was truly unforgiveable.  
"This is my natural hair colour. I was born this way. What's your excuse? Your hair's gone grey. Are you really old? You look it?"  
She didn't really mean this, but she wasn't about to let a stranger tease her for her hair colour. Sakura tried to put her knee beside his to prop herself up on the couch, and to remove her body from his but her tight skirt stopped her. All she managed to do was writhe around pathetically, looking frustrated.

"Here, let me help you." Kakashi smirked at her before wrapping his arms around her waist. This girl had to be punished for waking him up. Using his superior upper body strength, he rolled the both of them, pushing his knee in between hers causing her legs to spread for him and her skirt to roll up to her thighs, revealing her dorky brightly coloured boyleg underpants she'd chosen that morning to wear. If he'd thought she'd been red in the face before it was nothing to the violent shade of ruby she'd flushed now.  
"W-what are you doing?" She sputtered as she tried hopelessly to pull her skirt down.  
"Well, you're so adamant about your natural hair colour being pink, I wouldn't be satisfied unless I knew for sure." Kakashi's eyes crinkled as he smiled at her in a casual way, it was like what he was doing was no big deal at all. He put his hands either side her creamy white thighs and slowly ran them up to the hem of her underwear. He couldn't deny the way her warm flesh felt against his as he was nestled in between her gorgeous thighs, and the way it excited him. "You don't mind of course, don't you? I mean you did wake me up so rudel-"

**_CRACK._**

Sakura brought her hand down so hard against Kakashi's cheek that a perfect imprint of it had immediately raised there.  
"Get off me, p-pervert." She whimpered at him.

He'd crossed the line. What was he thinking? _No, don't answer that._ She thought violently. Who knows what a man like this could have been planning for a young girl like her. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him off her, hard. She'd worked so hard for this internship. Dreamt about it every night. And now she was here and she had felt so proud of herself. Now she felt like she could scream. Her mentor was a pervert and she doubted she'd be able to request another one easily.

Kakashi rose from the couch, his hand nursing his cheek, which hurt a load more than he dared to let on. With out even sparing a look in her direction he crossed the room and took a seat behind the desk there, trying his hardest to keep his tiny smirk to himself. So, this intern had guts, he'd learned that much at least. Most interns knew better than to bite the hand that fed them, or better yet slap the hand that fed them. Yes, it would be very interesting indeed to see what this one could do.

Not knowing what to do Sakura followed her perverted mentor to the desk. When she received no word from him she took the seat opposite. Hopefully this would be the part where he'd apologize profusely and make up a story about how he thought he'd been dreaming, et cetera. She'd be willing to let it slide as long as he apologized. She looked at him expectantly, hoping to prompt him towards an apology.  
"Well, you can't blame a guy for trying. I guess I'll have to formulate a new plan to find out just how natural that hair colour is." He scratched the back of his head looking like a little boy who'd just been caught doing something naughty. "So, Sakura was it?"

_WHAT! That doesn't get you off the hook, you perverted old man! Apologize! _

Sakura was shocked out of comprehension. Her poor heart had been racing since the moment she'd stepped foot into the office of Kakashi Hatake. It was possible she might have a heart attack. That was it? He was just going to gloss over what had happened, even though not a moment ago he'd been nestled between her thighs, his hands so close to her most intimate place. Worse yet, he'd been the first man to even get that close to her. Without any words to come to her aid she shook her head, lamely, to confirm her name. Kakashi, smiling all the while, reached for a file on his desk that she recognised as her own.  
"19." He whistled in shock. "That's very young. Too young to be trying to seduce men my age when they're sleeping so innocently."

_What?_ Her seducing him? It'd been the other way around. She'd merely tripped. She didn't go around trying to take advantage of men years and years older than herself. She'd barely even tried that with men her own age. So this was how he was going to play it. Sakura couldn't complain or tell anyone, because it would be his word against hers. Who would they believe; some pink-haired newbie intern or the reputable man who ran the advertising department for the top business group in the whole city? This was _bad_. This man was dangerous. Who knew how many people he'd ruthlessly molested and tossed aside? Her previous notions of the people in the business world had been wholeheartedly confirmed.

"Sakura, if you keep this behaviour up, well…" He shrugged and flashed a dazzling smile at her. "I just don't know how long your internship here at KBG will last."  
This was terrible. The man was straight up, twisting her around his little finger, and there was nothing she could do about it. It didn't help that his handsome face was hard to look away from. If she were the type of girl to go for older men, then yes, she'd surely go for someone like him. _What_ _the hell am I thinking? _She shook her head to dispel her wandering thoughts.  
"Well that's one intern accounted for." Kakashi reached for another folder beside hers. "But where is the other?"

_THE OTHER?_ Sakura cocked her head in confusion. What did he mean the other? There was only one position available for an advertising major internship with the KBG. Wasn't there? That's what she'd been told from day dot? There couldn't possibly be another one. Sakura was about to tell her new mentor that he'd been terribly mistaken when she was interrupted by a brisk knock.  
"Come in." Kakashi called as he continued to survey the folder before him with severe intent. It was if the contents of the document had caused him to become very concerned. Sakura on the other hand turned in her chair immediately to see the intruder.

To her absolute shock and horror, Sasuke Uchiha stood in the doorway. She could physically feel the colour drain from her face. He eyed her wearily as he walked into the office to take a seat in the chair beside her. By the looks of things he wasn't as shocked to find her there, as she was to see him there.  
"Uchiha." Kakashi said in a low and serious voice Sakura hadn't heard him use yet.  
"Hatake." Sasuke growled back not so politely.

_These two know each other…?_

* * *

**This may sound like an absolute cop out but I'm a busy uni student I don't have as much time for meticulously re-writing and planning these stories as I'd like. I know my prose could be a lot better, I know my characters could be a lot better. But at the end of the day I do this as an outlet for creativity (studying business does not afford me with a lot of these - most of the time.) So when I ask for feedback I guess you could say I'm asking for polite words of encouragement. **

**Fun fact that you most likely already know - Koharu Biyori is a term that represents the warm weather (like spring) in the beginning of winter. (which is relevant seeing as Sakura is like spring and Sasuke is like winter...)**

**- Ghostbuns**


	4. An Invitation Irrefutable

**A/n Ooooowee am I busy with uni. Hope you like this chapter, plot inbound. Drop me a comment if you like what you read! Now I'm going to take my night time cold tablets and hope that it knocks me the f out. **

* * *

_Deep breathes, girl._ Sakura clenched the arms of her chair tightly as she struggled a breath into her lungs. She was so thoroughly confused. A minute ago her new boss, and the Advertising Director for the KBG, had been on top of her fondling her like a pervert. She'd hardly had enough time to process this when she'd been informed that there was another intern that she assumed she was going to be sharing her position with. Worst yet, the other intern was _Sasuke_.

She'd already decided that he was the last person she wanted to be near and now she'd have to see him at the Lucky Sucker, here and if she was extra unlucky at the university. She wanted to die; the unfairness of it all was killing her. She looked at the two men in front of her who looked like they were locked in an intense staring competition.

She'd known Sasuke for a very long time now. She knew more than anyone that his personality was anything from warm and inviting. In fact it was a lot closer to cold and unwelcoming. But she'd never seen him glare at anyone with such intensity before. It was like he was trying to make Kakashi ignite and burn to a cinder before him. She looked at her new boss, expecting to see him to be recoiling in fear like any rational human being would. To her horror Kakashi was matching Sasuke's glare with an almost inhumanly sweet smile.

"Long time no see." Kakashi leaned back in his chair, setting a pen down that Sakura hadn't noticed he'd been holding. "It's always nice to see a beloved cousin."  
Sakura's mouth swung open. _Cousin? _What the hell did Kakashi mean, cousin? They looked nothing alike and Kakashi was ages older than Sasuke. This couldn't be possible? What the hell was going on?

"Hn." She looked over to see Sasuke had settled back in his chair, just like Kakashi had. She could see that he'd relaxed a little but he was still aggravated. As far as Sakura could tell, something had happened between the two to make their relationship hostile. From what she'd heard of Sasuke's strained family, it wasn't hard to believe that there was some underlying issue causing Sasuke's anger.

_This is so awkward._ Sakura thought violently. She couldn't think of anything to say. She didn't want to draw attention to herself. She hated to admit it but the look on Sasuke's face had scared her. She just wanted some explanations; she wished she could read minds. She wanted, more than anything, to scramble out of the office and sprint to the train station three blocks away from here. But she wouldn't. She deserved to be here and regardless of a pervert mentor and a man she hated. If she was going to be stuck here with both of them she'd out-do both of them and prove why she deserved the job.

"Sorry to ignore you Sakura. This is Sasuke Uchiha. My cousin by marriage." Kakashi smiled at her, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "He'll be your co-intern. Well, at least he will be for a while. The firm couldn't decide which intern to take on so they've decided to take both and choose whom to push through the program based on a probation period. So good luck and work hard. You're both competing against one-another for my attention and affection."

Sakura sunk in her chair a fraction. So, she didn't _actually_ have the internship yet. She'd been so happy that she'd beaten Sasuke, initially. That feeling had been weakened when she'd realised that she'd be sharing the position with him. Now it had all together been shattered. She'd have to compete with Sasuke. She had no idea if she even had the capacity to do so. Hadn't he always been just ahead of her in grades? Wasn't he just a fraction better? If the position had been awarded based on grades alone, she wouldn't have been sitting in Kakashi Hatake's office at all right now. And Sasuke would know this and if he were smart he'd take advantage of this.

"Well, if there's no questions there's not much more to say now. I'll be seeing you both bright an early Monday morning for you first day." Kakashi turned his smile to Sakura now, staring straight through her like he was undressing her with his eyes. "Sakura, can you stay back. I need you to finish some paperwork."

She blushed lightly under Kakashi's stare. She could feel to her side, Sasuke's eyes on her, searching her questioningly. _Dear lord, Sasuke knows what happened in here. He knew all along. He can tell._ She stole a glance at Sasuke. His eyes were boring into her but there was no trace on his face that gave away that he suspected anything. Maybe, she was safe and she could completely forget the whole entire thing between her and Kakashi had happened. There was no point living in fear anyways. Stress could put a girl in an untimely grave.

Sasuke silently rose from his chair and left the office, pausing once to look over his shoulder. He somehow didn't feel quite right leaving her alone in this office; she was like little red riding hood and Kakashi like the big bad wolf. He'd devour her whole. There was no stopping this man. He wasn't happy. He had no idea that this man was working for this company. He hadn't seen or heard from him in a few years, and he hadn't missed him at all.

The door clicked behind Sasuke and Sakura was now alone with Kakashi. She gulped nervously as she noticed the look Kakashi was giving her. His eyes had narrowed as if he was mulling something curious over in his mind. She couldn't help but let out a small squeak as he rose from his chair to sit directly in front of her, one hand in his pocket, the other lazily draped over his knee as he perched on the desk.

"You look as if you've seen a ghost." Kakashi's voice was soft, as if he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. Sakura pursed her lips and set her face into an expression of determination. She wouldn't let him throw her off guard. This was a man she couldn't trust.  
"What could you possibly mean?" She tried her hardest to look nonchalant like his existence meant nothing to her. She stood from her chair her hand outstretched and offered to him. "We didn't get a chance to properly acquaint ourselves. I'm Sakura Haruno and I look forward to working under you and learning all you can teach me."

Kakashi's mouth formed a defiant smirk. He wasn't sure if the girl before him knew exactly how hard she would be working because in his mind he'd already decided that regardless he'd have to have her. He wasn't one to usually initiate an office romance but something about the naivety of this girl mesmerised him. He felt it was his duty to take this girl and memorise every inch of her body and teach her the ways of the world, whether it broke the rules or not. He casually lifted his hand to meet hers, closing it firmly within his.  
"Yes, I'm sure you will be working hard, indeed."

A tinge of pink brushed Sakura's cheeks as she struggled to keep eye contact with this strange man. He was looking at her like she was the most curious being on the planet. When in actuality that title belonged solely to him.  
"Well, if that's all you needed me for sir…" She pulled her hand out of his grip, without ease. "I'll see you Monday morning then."

She picked up her handbag and awkwardly turned to the door, feeling his eyes boring into her back the whole time.

"Perhaps." Kakashi said stopping Sakura as her hand reached for the doorhandle "Or perhaps sooner. What are you doing this evening? I'd like to get to know my intern better." He grabbed her file off his desk to find her number. "I'm assuming these are the right contact details listed here. I'll pick you up this evening at 8pm for dinner. My treat."

Sakura's eyes widened. _Quick think! There's got to be a way to weasel out of this._ Millions of excuses rapidly formed in Sakura's head but none of them found their way to her mouth. She stood there mouth agape like a dear caught in headlights.

"Good." Kakashi closed the folder in his hands swiftly. "Wear something pretty." He winked at her before resuming his seat at the desk. He picked up some discarded papers and started going through them as if Sakura had never entered the office at all. When he paused to look up he noticed Sakura still standing by the door. "That will be all, Sakura."

Sakura shook her head before scrambling out the door as fast as she could. She was pathetic she hadn't been able to say no to a dinner invitation. _What is with me today?_ She wasn't normally like this. Normally she would have a blazingly cold shut down for any man foolish enough to think that they could proposition her, without her wanting it. _It's not a date. It's a business dinner._ She stood in front of the elevator trying to think of what on earth she had in her wardrobe that would suit any place that Kakashi Hatake was likely to take her.

* * *

Sasuke stood impatiently in the lobby of the tall building, blending in with sleek and modern interior. To onlookers he looked nothing like an intern but rather a successful, up and coming entrepreneur who belonged in the KBG building. He was beginning to become sick of the stares that followed him as he paced by the couches, one eye trained on the silver doors of the elevator. What the hell was going on? Why had Sakura been asked to stay behind in Kakashi's office but not him? He knew already that Kakashi was not a man to trust, but obviously Sakura wouldn't know this. He'd lingered in the lobby waiting for him to come down thinking that he could offer to drive her home again and pick up where they had left off the previous night.

He couldn't think of the heated kiss in the car last night without feeling a mixed emotion of embarrassment and excitement. He'd been afraid to see her, afraid that she might completely ignore him or scream at him for taking advantage. He couldn't ignore the small slither of hope that maybe she'd even start to show some affection for him. Maybe kissing her like that might be just what they needed to kick start something between them.

He stopped in his tracks. He knew his train of thought was beginning to become ridiculous. No woman welcomed or appreciated being forced upon and he'd be lucky if she didn't tell everyone they knew and worked with that he was a pervert. The right thing to do would be to apologize. There was no point beating around the bush. He did the wrong thing and now he had to take responsibility for his actions and make amends. But then again…maybe just maybe she might like him. She had kissed him back, initially.

The elevator dinged and Sasuke tried his hardest to look casual whilst he eyed the inhabitants as they exited. His eyes were immediately drawn to the small woman with the rose coloured hair. He could feel his heart skip a beat and his stomach flutter. Did she have any idea had gorgeous she looked in her tight skirt and soft coloured blouse? She could have been mistaken for a beautiful actress. The people's eyes that had been fixed on him shifted to her. Not that she noticed though. He couldn't help but feel the slightest tinge of jealousy at the pleasant affection she was awarded everywhere she went. People tended to disregard him after they realised his personality was anything but welcome.

He could feel himself holding his breath as he desperately waited for her to notice him. He'd hate to follow her pathetically trying to get her attention. He casually eyed her as she stepped out of the elevator, preoccupied by the contents of her handbag. Sasuke adjusted his position in the lobby so that she'd have to run directly into him. He couldn't afford the embarrassment if she happened to get away.

Sakura, still engrossed in her handbag, hadn't noticed Sasuke at all. Until, with a lame _'oof,' _she bumped squarely into him. She tore her eyes away from her handbag to begin apologizing profusely to the poor soul that she'd run into, only to look up and find to eyes dark as coal boring into hers.  
"Sorry, I didn't see you there." She broke their eye contact and stepped to the side. She turned her attention back to her purse immediately, trying to find her travel pass.

"Hn." Sasuke stepped out of the way of the elevator to let the other passengers pass. "I was hoping I'd run into you."

Sakura rolled her eyes, to herself. She wanted to avoid him. That had been her plan. After what had gone down the previous evening how could he so openly approach her? Did he have any shame?  
"Look, I'd really like to talk to you if you have any time to spare." She glanced at him carefully, he had his hands buried deep in his pockets and he refused to meet her eye. He wanted to talk to her? What about? That sounded like the last thing she needed to do. Of course she was busy; her stomach flipped as she thought of Kakashi arriving at her house that evening to pick her up. On the topic of Kakashi, Sakura remembered that she was very much interested in the nature of Sasuke and Kakashi's relationship. They were family – albeit by marriage – weren't they? _Shit, could it be that I'm having dinner tonight with a married man?_

"Sakura?" Sasuke prompted Sakura who had gone still and silent. He couldn't help but feel curious by her strange expression. What could she be thinking about? She was yet to straight out reject him yet, so he had to take that as a good sign.

"Sorry, Sasuke." Sakura shook her head to clear her mind. "Spare time? Urm, not much why."  
"Well, about last night." She could tell just how uncomfortable he was by the look on his face. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee quickly? We're going to be working alongside one another here so we should be able to at least converse comfortably."

Could this be a peace offering? Sakura was torn. She didn't know what to do? On one hand she'd vowed to never be alone with him ever again. On the other he had a point, they would be spending a lot of time together, they should be able to be civil. More importantly, he looked so apologetic, well as apologetic as he could manage. Maybe, just maybe, she'd been wrong all this time and he happened to be a decent human being. _Stop the press._ She laughed evilly to herself. How bad could coffee be? There were heaps of onlookers around so he couldn't make an unwelcome move on her again. Well, if anything she could at least make him pay.

"Okay, but your shout." Sakura secured her handbag over her shoulder before turning and leading the way out of the lobby. She knew of a coffee place on the corner, she had passed it on the way to the meeting that morning. Sasuke didn't have to walk very fast to catch up with her, just like the previous evening, her legs were much shorter than his. He was relieved that she didn't turn him down. He had seriously thought that she was going to. But all things considered she wasn't exactly treating him as if he was her most favourite person on earth. He decided that this would have to do. He couldn't help himself. He'd never felt this way before. He'd never wanted someone to like him so badly.

Having quickly reached the coffee shop, and knowing that Sasuke was close on her heels, they both entered the store together, glad to be out of the cold chill of the day. Sasuke ordered them two black coffees, whilst Sakura took a booth seat for them. Sakura quickly unwrapped her scarf and tugged off her gloves before Sasuke took a seat in front of her. She couldn't help but admit to herself that he pulled off the corporate look very well, compared to her. They looked like an important executive and his lowly secretary.

"Okay, Uchiha. Start _conversing_." She crossed her arms in front of her, wanting her body language to portray her dissatisfaction with him and his company. "What do you want to _converse_ about."

A waitress brought the coffees to their table, lingering a while to try and catch Sasuke's eye.  
"About last night." Sasuke didn't dare make eye contact with her; he didn't want her to know how embarrassing this was for him. "If I crossed a line last night and upset you. I am sorry. My aim wasn't to upset you."  
"Yeah." Sakura took a mistrustful sip of her coffee, pleased to find it wasn't awful. "And what _was _your aim."

Sasuke followed suit and tasted the coffee, although not particularly interested in it. How was he supposed to answer a loaded question like that? Normally he'd probably just grunt and leave it there, but the whole point of getting coffee with her was to _talk _with her. His objective was to smooth things over with her for the sake of both their working relationship and their _friendship_ – if you could call it that. There was also another goal he had in mind for talking to Sakura. He hadn't liked the way Kakashi has been looking at her, and less yet the fact that she'd been in the office before him and after him unsupervised. She had to know how untrustworthy that guy was.

"I'm sorry, I misread the situation. I won't do it again." He decided that would be the best way to sweep the mess out of the way quickly to get to the next topic.  
"_Misread_ _the situation?"_ Sakura raised an eyebrow incredulously at him and shook her head. "You bet you won't be doing it again."  
"Never mind that there's something else I need to talk to you abo-"  
"You _kissed_ me out of nowhere." She cut him off.  
"Sakura, listen."  
"No, I don't want to listen to you. Why should I? You lure me into your car under the _pretence _of seeing me home safely, only to turn around and try and grope me?"  
"Excuse me, that's enough." Sasuke was angry now. He narrowed his eyes at the annoying woman in front of him. "I may have kissed you without permission but you kissed me back and if I'm not mistaken you enjoyed it."

Sakura's mouth was open in shock and frustration. How dare he insinuate such a thing? _Even though I did spend most of last night thinking about his lips_. Did he think because he was handsome and desirable that he could just go around kissing whomever he liked?

"Well you were mistaken. I didn't enjoy it. In fact I hope you never try and kiss me every again. Understood?" Sakura stood from the booth, lamenting her huffy exit that would have to be forgone so she could put her scarf and gloves back on.  
"Understood." Sasuke stood next to her passing her the pink scarf. "Please let me drive you home. I promise this time I won't try anything. There's something else I want to discuss with you."

Sakura looked at the Uchiha. He looked so sincere, more sincere than she'd ever seen him before, but she just couldn't ignore the vibes of hatred that she was feeling for him. Her stomach told her not to trust him. After all, they were rival interns now and she suspected he wouldn't bat an eyelash if he could find a way to cut her out of the competition. She turned to face him squarely not caring one bit for anything he wanted to discuss. She grabbed the scarf he offered her and yanked it out of his grip.

"No, you may not drive me home. I'd rather eat needles." She turned on heel and exited the café as briskly and as elegantly as she could manage.


End file.
